Need Advice - the last 100 miles

[AllisonNFLD]

Hello! Please let me start by saying I have tried to find this information on my own but having a hard time figuring out some specifics that I'm hoping the wonderful people of this forum can help me with!

A little background: Last October, my Dad and I walked from SJPP to Longrono, where we "paused" our pilgrimage due to my work obligations. This year, we'd like to skip ahead to the tail end of the Camino, as we are unsure that this will be a viable trip next year.

We have about 7/8 days to devote to walking and can manage about 20-24 miles per day. I've looked at some of the options of starting points BUT this is where I get confused. My questions are:

1 - Where should we fly in? Last year we flew to Paris and took a train to SJPP. Does it make more sense to fly into Madrid or elsewhere? (We are coming from North America)
2 - Where is the best place to start this portion of the Camino if you had 7 days to walk to Santiago di Compostella?
3 - OR should we just do the final 100 miles and instead, walk to Finsterre at the end? Would you recommend taking a couple of days to tour the area at the end?
4 - What is the best airport (read: easiest to get to) to fly out of following the end of the Camino? I'm sure this is easily found in the threads but I figured I would ask while I was here

My Dad is 66 and I am 36. We are both in good shape. Our walk together last year was one of the greatest memories I have ever made and I'm so excited to get back on the road this year. Thank you in advance for your advice!

 

[SYates]

You can fly into Santiago (most likely via another European airport), take the bus to Lugo/Sarria, walk to Santiago and if time permits, continue to the coast. Buen Camino, SY

 

[Katherine Fugate]

Yes, as above. We came from Los Angeles. We flew LA to Madrid. Madrid to Santiago. Santiago we took a prebooked taxi who met us at the airport to Sarria. We didn't want to see any of Santiago as that was our destination, so kept it a surprise. The private taxi was expensive but we arrived late in the evening and didn't get to Sarria until midnight.

Took us 8 days and we walked short days of 8 miles. Most are done earlier. We stayed in Santiago for 3 days and thoroughly enjoyed the town. We were able to see the botafumerio swing by attending several masses. It was spectacular to see in person. We wanted to go to the coast but it was raining so in the end, we were glad to remain and explore Santiago.
We then flew back to Madrid from Santiago - then back to LA. Thus the only extra travel cost was really the taxi ride to Sarria - otherwise the RT was LA - Madrid - Santiago.

Buen Camino.

 

[C clearly]

I'm just checking here, that you aren't mixing miles and km in your calculations... (Your walking rate of 20-24 miles/day is higher than is typical, so I thought I'd ask.)

the final 100 miles

The requirement for a Compostela is 100 km, which is only 62 miles. The common "final" stretch from Sarria is about 115 km (about 70 miles).

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Lots of options to walk 100km to Santiago to which you can add a few days to Fisterra/Muxia if you still have time.

The Frances, from Sarria

The Portuguese, from Tui

The Ingles from Ferrol, or from A Coruna if you walk an extra 25km at home.

The Sanabres, as well from Ourense.

For all of these, fly into Santiago and take a bus or tren to your walking starting point. To get to Santiago you can fly in from Madrid or London for example.

Rome2rio website may be helpful.

I would spend two nights in Santiago, and take the cathedral roof top tour.

 

[ChristianSdeM]

Flying into Santiago and then bus or train is easy to your selected start point, as others have said. As for flying to Santiago, use a site like skyscanner.net which will throw up options for routings, airlines, fares, travel time etc. You don't have to book the flight on that site but can go to the selected airline for best fares.

 

[JabbaPapa]

100 miles is about O Cebreiro to Santiago. (a bit less than 100)

 

[KinkyOne]

Lots of options to walk 100km to Santiago to which you can add a few days to Fisterra/Muxia if you still have time.

The Frances, from Sarria

The Portuguese, from Tui

The Ingles from Ferrol, or from A Coruna if you walk an extra 25km at home.

The Sanabres, as well from Ourense.

For all of these, fly into Santiago and take a bus or tren to your walking starting point. To get to Santiago you can fly in from Madrid or London for example.

Rome2rio website may be helpful.

I would spend two nights in Santiago, and take the cathedral roof top tour.

Also Invierno from Monforte de Lemos and Primitivo from Lugo.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Also Invierno from Monforte de Lemos and Primitivo from Lugo.

Can't believe I forgot Lugo!

 

[hel&scott]

My Dad is 66 and I am 36. We are both in good shape. Our walk together last year was one of the greatest memories I have ever made and I'm so excited to get back on the road this year. Thank you in advance for your advice!

Trusty forum members have given you some great advice, Spain is well served with airports, trains and by bus so you should have no problems getting to your start point once you have selected it.
I love walking with my dad, he taught me how to tramp and over the years our trails have gone from him picking me up (and my sisters) and carrying me in at the end of the day, to epic teenage climbs, to more leisurely strolls where I have carried his pack into the hut at the end of the day. Over the years we have learnt so much about each other from our walks together, he never did get to go on a Camino and I regret that, but dad and I still walk the farm tracks through our orchards every day, he is 87 now . Have a great trip and make plenty more memories with you dad.

 

[Purple Backpack]

For heading home... I had a lot of fun one trip flying from SDC to Dublin (RyanAir was an interesting experience!) and laying over for a day/night. There was just enough time to visit the Guinness factory, Trinity College and wander the town before heading home through Boston (DC and NYC work, too). Clearing customs in Ireland made the connecting flight in the states much easier, too. It was so nice to get off an international flight and just head to the next gate instead of standing in customs lines. I'd definitely do another Ireland layover again!

 

[Gillyweb]

Hello! Please let me start by saying I have tried to find this information on my own but having a hard time figuring out some specifics that I'm hoping the wonderful people of this forum can help me with!

A little background: Last October, my Dad and I walked from SJPP to Longrono, where we "paused" our pilgrimage due to my work obligations. This year, we'd like to skip ahead to the tail end of the Camino, as we are unsure that this will be a viable trip next year.

We have about 7/8 days to devote to walking and can manage about 20-24 miles per day. I've looked at some of the options of starting points BUT this is where I get confused. My questions are:

1 - Where should we fly in? Last year we flew to Paris and took a train to SJPP. Does it make more sense to fly into Madrid or elsewhere? (We are coming from North America)
2 - Where is the best place to start this portion of the Camino if you had 7 days to walk to Santiago di Compostella?
3 - OR should we just do the final 100 miles and instead, walk to Finsterre at the end? Would you recommend taking a couple of days to tour the area at the end?
4 - What is the best airport (read: easiest to get to) to fly out of following the end of the Camino? I'm sure this is easily found in the threads but I figured I would ask while I was here

My Dad is 66 and I am 36. We are both in good shape. Our walk together last year was one of the greatest memories I have ever made and I'm so excited to get back on the road this year. Thank you in advance for your advice!

Hi there. For my first Camino I flew into Madrid and took a coach direct from the airport to Ponferrada. The coaches are easy to use and cheap and its a pleasant journey. Here is a link to that particular journey - click on bus in the LH column...
https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Madrid-Airport-MAD/Ponferrada
The website gives you various other alternatives too.

What I liked about that, especially in retrospect, is that I got some time alone on the way before meeting the hoardes coming out of Sarria. I'd suggest too that you leapfrog Sarria and all the Brierly stage stopping points from there onwards if you want to maintain the sense of Camino you are accustomed too. Hope it all works out - Buen Camino

 

[Deleted member 12253]

1O0 miles = 160 kilometers.
Walking 20/25 miles a day = 32/40 kilometers. At 66 yrs dad might be a bit over tired after a few days. Europe distances in Kiklometers on all signs. A lady walking a few yrs ago ended up in Hospital as she walking up to 50km as she mixed up miles and kilometers. We had to carry her one day for 10km to nearest town and ambulance buen camino

 

[Anemone del Camino]

A lady walking a few yrs ago ended up in Hospital as she walking up to 50km as she mixed up miles and kilometers. We had to carry her one day for 10km to nearest town and ambulance buen camino

This tops all other Camino stories I have ever heard. Who walks the Camino based on the number of km, vs hours walked or just getting to which ever village is shown on the map that has an albergue? I'm stunned. And she must have been suffering and wondering why she wasn't having cafe con leche, an after drink and not walking with a cohort.

 

[JabbaPapa]

1O0 miles = 160 kilometers.
Walking 20/25 miles a day = 32/40 kilometers. At 66 yrs dad might be a bit over tired after a few days. Europe distances in Kiklometers on all signs. A lady walking a few yrs ago ended up in Hospital as she walking up to 50km as she mixed up miles and kilometers. We had to carry her one day for 10km to nearest town and ambulance buen camino

O Cebreiro to Santiago is 150 km / 7 days = 21.4 km/day = 13.34 miles/day

20-25 miles/day is realistic as a goal in this context, as there will inevitably be days when the goal isn't reached, because of circumstance, opportunity, or decision, and that'll be fine as what's needed is actually less on average

Also, a goal of 20-25 miles/day is in practice a slower pace than a 20-25 miles/day average hiking speed, as the latter will require some days of 30-35 miles length to compensate for the slower days and the rest days. When I could manage a 40 km/day average back in the 90s and 2000s, it required some 50-65 km days, so that basically my goal was 35-65 km/day (though at the time, I thought of it as 40)

A 25 mile/day average is FAR more demanding than 20-25 miles as an ideal daily target, but never mind if you don't reach it every day

 

[andycohn]

From North America, there are more non-stops to London than any other European city. From London (either Gatwick or Heathrow), there's lots of non-stops to Santiago. EasyJet and Ryanair are cheapest, but British Air and Iberia also fly London - Santiago. Same thing going back.

Sarria - Santiago, as many have said, is infinitely more crowded than any other stretch of the Frances, or any other camino. If you want to avoid crowds (and maybe you like them -- that's ok, too), you can cut out half of the Sarria - Santiago stretch by starting in Lugo on the Camino Primitivo instead of Sarria. The Primitivo hits the Frances at Melide, roughly half-way between Sarria and Santiago. Lugo - Melide is lots more tranquil than Sarria - Melide, and there's a direct bus from the Santiago airport to Lugo. Lugo - Santiago also qualifies you for a compostela.

Or do one of the other caminos to Santiago, as others have outlined above. Or, if you don't care about the Compostela and are really going to walk 100 miles (instead of kilometers), you could back up on the Frances and walk Astorga to Sarria, which is just under 100 miles.

 

[KinkyOne]

... And she must have been suffering and wondering why she wasn't having cafe con leche,--.

I think she must have been suffering from something else...

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Hello! Please let me start by saying I have tried to find this information on my own but having a hard time figuring out some specifics that I'm hoping the wonderful people of this forum can help me with!

A little background: Last October, my Dad and I walked from SJPP to Longrono, where we "paused" our pilgrimage due to my work obligations. This year, we'd like to skip ahead to the tail end of the Camino, as we are unsure that this will be a viable trip next year.

We have about 7/8 days to devote to walking and can manage about 20-24 miles per day. I've looked at some of the options of starting points BUT this is where I get confused. My questions are:

1 - Where should we fly in? Last year we flew to Paris and took a train to SJPP. Does it make more sense to fly into Madrid or elsewhere? (We are coming from North America)
2 - Where is the best place to start this portion of the Camino if you had 7 days to walk to Santiago di Compostella?
3 - OR should we just do the final 100 miles and instead, walk to Finsterre at the end? Would you recommend taking a couple of days to tour the area at the end?
4 - What is the best airport (read: easiest to get to) to fly out of following the end of the Camino? I'm sure this is easily found in the threads but I figured I would ask while I was here

My Dad is 66 and I am 36. We are both in good shape. Our walk together last year was one of the greatest memories I have ever made and I'm so excited to get back on the road this year. Thank you in advance for your advice!

Fly into madrid (or SdC), then direct bus to Piedrafita de Cebreiro, then hike up the hill (couple hours) or take taxi to O Cebreiro; and start there - roughly 100 miles from SdC. The section between O Cebreiro and Sarria is stunning. Fly out od SdC and connect in Madrid.
Buen Camino

 

[Mack]

I did the Sarria to Santiago in April this year. I am 76 and never done even hiking before and I had no problems at all

School holidays were on at the time and there were lots of people doing it, the weather was magnificent and all in all it was a great experience.

Coming from Australia I flew into Santiago via Madrid, bussed to Sarria and at the end flew out of Santaigo. It was 6 days in all. Overnights were in Portomarin, Palas de Rei, Melide, Arzua, Amenal and then Satiago.

 

[AllisonNFLD]

I'm just checking here, that you aren't mixing miles and km in your calculations... (Your walking rate of 20-24 miles/day is higher than is typical, so I thought I'd ask.)

The requirement for a Compostela is 100 km, which is only 62 miles. The common "final" stretch from Sarria is about 115 km (about 70 miles).

Yes! I am mixing up my miles with KM's we are definitely not waking 20 miles a day haha. Thanks!

 

[AllisonNFLD]

O Cebreiro to Santiago is 150 km / 7 days = 21.4 km/day = 13.34 miles/day

20-25 miles/day is realistic as a goal in this context, as there will inevitably be days when the goal isn't reached, because of circumstance, opportunity, or decision, and that'll be fine as what's needed is actually less on average

Also, a goal of 20-25 miles/day is in practice a slower pace than a 20-25 miles/day average hiking speed, as the latter will require some days of 30-35 miles length to compensate for the slower days and the rest days. When I could manage a 40 km/day average back in the 90s and 2000s, it required some 50-65 km days, so that basically my goal was 35-65 km/day (though at the time, I thought of it as 40)

A 25 mile/day average is FAR more demanding than 20-25 miles as an ideal daily target, but never mind if you don't reach it every day

Ha! I was completely mixing up my KM's with miles

 

[AllisonNFLD]

1O0 miles = 160 kilometers.
Walking 20/25 miles a day = 32/40 kilometers. At 66 yrs dad might be a bit over tired after a few days. Europe distances in Kiklometers on all signs. A lady walking a few yrs ago ended up in Hospital as she walking up to 50km as she mixed up miles and kilometers. We had to carry her one day for 10km to nearest town and ambulance buen camino

Hi! I was mixing up miles with kilometers and the only reason I mentioned them at all is because it's important to us to get the "last 100". Thank you for your advice and don't worry - we won't over extend ourselves!

 

[M&D2017]

Hi! If you and your Dad can walk 25-30 Km with packs (you can take a small day pack and for 5 euros send your pack on to the next albergue if having any blister/ leg or medical physical issues) then as others have said O'Cebreiro would be a beautiful starting point. My daughter and I finished this leg of the walk in 7 days. We did have one very short day of 13 Km, which we both decided was way too short. We both love walking and stopping along the Camino at little Cafe's meeting other pilgrims were highlights of our Camino.
From Sarria on the Camino definitely has a different feel. We found it to be not as quaint or communal and a starting point for lots of pilgrims!
As others mentioned if there is another route that is less travelled it may give you more of that feeling that you and your Dad had when you first went.
After getting up, oh dark stupid early, to walk our last 20 Km to Santiago, going to the pilgrims mass at noon was an amazing feeling that we will always remember.
Good luck with you planning!
Buen Camino!!
PS we did go to Finisterre and walk to Muxia . The sea is an incredible force. A great ending to our incredible journey!

 

[Nelia L Keiser]

Hello! Please let me start by saying I have tried to find this information on my own but having a hard time figuring out some specifics that I'm hoping the wonderful people of this forum can help me with!

A little background: Last October, my Dad and I walked from SJPP to Longrono, where we "paused" our pilgrimage due to my work obligations. This year, we'd like to skip ahead to the tail end of the Camino, as we are unsure that this will be a viable trip next year.

We have about 7/8 days to devote to walking and can manage about 20-24 miles per day. I've looked at some of the options of starting points BUT this is where I get confused. My questions are:

1 - Where should we fly in? Last year we flew to Paris and took a train to SJPP. Does it make more sense to fly into Madrid or elsewhere? (We are coming from North America)
2 - Where is the best place to start this portion of the Camino if you had 7 days to walk to Santiago di Compostella?
3 - OR should we just do the final 100 miles and instead, walk to Finsterre at the end? Would you recommend taking a couple of days to tour the area at the end?
4 - What is the best airport (read: easiest to get to) to fly out of following the end of the Camino? I'm sure this is easily found in the threads but I figured I would ask while I was here

My Dad is 66 and I am 36. We are both in good shape. Our walk together last year was one of the greatest memories I have ever made and I'm so excited to get back on the road this year. Thank you in advance for your advice!

I walked from SJdPDP last September/October and ended up taking the bus from Santiago to Finastirre to spread my parents ashes. Got there for the spectacular sun set. Stayed on the highest point and saw the sun rise the next day. I did not have enough days for the 3 day walk. It also rained heavily before and after I got to Finastirre. While there it was beautiful. Have a Buen Camino

 

[AllisonNFLD]

Trusty forum members have given you some great advice, Spain is well served with airports, trains and by bus so you should have no problems getting to your start point once you have selected it.
I love walking with my dad, he taught me how to tramp and over the years our trails have gone from him picking me up (and my sisters) and carrying me in at the end of the day, to epic teenage climbs, to more leisurely strolls where I have carried his pack into the hut at the end of the day. Over the years we have learnt so much about each other from our walks together, he never did get to go on a Camino and I regret that, but dad and I still walk the farm tracks through our orchards every day, he is 87 now . Have a great trip and make plenty more memories with you dad.

That's so special! My Dad and I had an incredible time last year and we're both excited to get back to the road again together Thanks for your advice and sharing your story!

 

[AllisonNFLD]

Hi! If you and your Dad can walk 25-30 Km with packs (you can take a small day pack and for 5 euros send your pack on to the next albergue if having any blister/ leg or medical physical issues) then as others have said O'Cebreiro would be a beautiful starting point. My daughter and I finished this leg of the walk in 7 days. We did have one very short day of 13 Km, which we both decided was way too short. We both love walking and stopping along the Camino at little Cafe's meeting other pilgrims were highlights of our Camino.
From Sarria on the Camino definitely has a different feel. We found it to be not as quaint or communal and a starting point for lots of pilgrims!
As others mentioned if there is another route that is less travelled it may give you more of that feeling that you and your Dad had when you first went.
After getting up, oh dark stupid early, to walk our last 20 Km to Santiago, going to the pilgrims mass at noon was an amazing feeling that we will always remember.
Good luck with you planning!
Buen Camino!!
PS we did go to Finisterre and walk to Muxia . The sea is an incredible force. A great ending to our incredible journey!

I think we might copy your journey - that sounds perfect! As for the end, I'm thinking about renting a house by the ocean for the lsat couple of days just to be tranquil and reflect on another leg of our Camino journey coming to an end

 

[GRR]

Spain is a small country. Fly in anywhere you like. Trains and buses will take you anywhere you need to go in a few hours.

 

[pjacobi]

Consider continuing onward from Longrono and walk as far as you can. Come back next year and continue. Why skip any part of the experience?


-Paul

 

[AllisonNFLD]

Consider continuing onward from Longrono and walk as far as you can. Come back next year and continue. Why skip any part of the experience?


-Paul

Hi Paul. I'm getting married next fall and hopefully starting a family. We plan to do the middle portion at another time but have decided that doing the end will be very special, in case life happens and we don't get back sooner than we would like. All this said, my favourite thing I learned on our first Camino "leg" is that there is no right or wrong way to do it, and that knowledge was very freeing to us and we are just gonna do whatever feels good/right for us. I hope the same to you!

Allison

 

[AllisonNFLD]

I walked from SJdPDP last September/October and ended up taking the bus from Santiago to Finastirre to spread my parents ashes. Got there for the spectacular sun set. Stayed on the highest point and saw the sun rise the next day. I did not have enough days for the 3 day walk. It also rained heavily before and after I got to Finastirre. While there it was beautiful. Have a Buen Camino

That is so heartbreaking a beautiful. What an incredible thing to do in your parent's memory. Thank you for sharing your story and I promise we will go there for the sun set!

 

[mbmc]

Yes, as above. We came from Los Angeles. We flew LA to Madrid. Madrid to Santiago. Santiago we took a prebooked taxi who met us at the airport to Sarria. We didn't want to see any of Santiago as that was our destination, so kept it a surprise. The private taxi was expensive but we arrived late in the evening and didn't get to Sarria until midnight.

Took us 8 days and we walked short days of 8 miles. Most are done earlier. We stayed in Santiago for 3 days and thoroughly enjoyed the town. We were able to see the botafumerio swing by attending several masses. It was spectacular to see in person. We wanted to go to the coast but it was raining so in the end, we were glad to remain and explore Santiago.
We then flew back to Madrid from Santiago - then back to LA. Thus the only extra travel cost was really the taxi ride to Sarria - otherwise the RT was LA - Madrid - Santiago.

Buen Camino.

thank you SO much for this information- this was exactly what I wanted to know.